Increased use of TMO to spot concussion backed after North incident

The increased use of video technology to help highlight incidents of concussion can only be a good thing for rugby union, according to a medical expert.

The issue has been brought to the fore this week after Wales allowed winger George North to continue playing despite seemingly being twice knocked unconscious in Friday's Six Nations defeat to England.

North caught a boot in the face in the first half of the contest at the Millennium Stadium, but returned to the action after a check from Wales medical staff, only to again appear to be knocked out when attempting to tackle Mike Brown later in the game.

In the face of stinging criticism, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) insisted North would have been withdrawn had they been aware of him losing consciousness.

North will play no part in Wales' clash with Scotland on Sunday, as the WRU manage the player's condition as well as a backlash from pundits - though World Rugby have accepted the WRU's version of events and will bring no punishment.

The governing body subsequently stated it was to review the practicality of using expanded television match official technology to identify head injuries quicker.

Professor Damian Bailey, a director of the research institute of science and health at the University of South Wales, has backed the idea.

"I certainly welcome anything that highlights a potential injury," he told Perform. "This is a self-selecting sport, the players know the risks.

"What we're slowly starting to understand is that the long-term risks of these injuries can be significant. Let's be clear a player can, very rare of course, actually die of a single concussion.

"What we're keen to do is use all techniques available to us in order to optimise player safety on the pitch, while acknowledging that they're engaging in high-impact contact.

"The players can be their own worst enemy. They're under incredible pressure and duress to stay on the pitch.

"Any form of electronic referee or form of coverage, video or otherwise, that can help identify something like what happened to George North, who was clearly concussed, is for the good of anyone really."

Bailey also stated that he was satisfied with the explanation from Wales' medical team about why North was not replaced.

He added: "You have to have faith in the medical support staff. The WRU are very proactive, at the foremost of their minds is player safety.

"The first incident when he took a boot to the face there was some ambiguity, they made the right decision taking him off the pitch. He was found to have passed the clinical test and returned to play.

"The unfortunate incident was the second one when he bashed heads and it was clear he lost consciousness. If they didn't see the incident it's a very difficult thing to defend against.

"The decision made was the correct one in the first incident, the second it was unfortunate it wasn't seen because George should have been brought off."